Robert John Downey, Jr. (born April 4, 1965) is an American actor and musician. Downey made his screen debut at the age of five when he started to appear in his father's films. During the 1980s he had minor roles in a series of coming of age films associated with the Brat Pack. Less Than Zero (1987) is particularly notable, not only because it was the first time Downey's acting would be acknowledged by the critics, but also because the role pushed Downey's already existing drug habit one step further. After Zero Downey started landing roles in bigger films such as Air America (1990) and Soapdish (1991), these would eventually lead him to Chaplin for which he gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Charlie Chaplin.During 1996-2001, Downey was arrested several times on drug-related charges, going through drug treatment programs unsuccessfully. It was between these stays in prison that Downey joined the cast of the hit television series Ally McBeal, playing the new love interest of Calista Flockhart's title character. His performance was praised and he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a mini-series or TV Film, but his character was written off when Downey was once again arrested in 2000. After Ally McBeal, and one last stay in a drug treatment program, Downey's career began to take off again, receiving semi-independent films like The Singing Detective (2003), A Scanner Darkly (2005) and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005). He also had supporting roles in the mainstream films Gothika (2003) and Zodiac (2007). In 2004, Downey released his debut studio album The Futurist.
In 2006, Downey was cast as the title character in the comic book adaptation Iron Man which premiered in the summer of 2008, making almost $100 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend and receiving rave reviews which cite Downey's performance as a highlight of the film. He also has a cameo in The Incredible Hulk as Tony Stark, Iron Man's alter ego. His other 2008 films include The Soloist, Charlie Bartlett, and the Ben Stiller-directed Tropic Thunder.
Downey was born in New York City,, New York, the younger of two children. His father, Robert Downey, is an actor, writer, producer, cinematographer, and director of underground films, and his mother, Elsie (née Ford), is also an actress and appeared in Downey Sr.'s films. Downey's father is of Irish and Jewish ancestry and his mother is of German and Scottish descent.[1] His father was born "Robert Elias," but changed his last name to "Downey" (after his stepfather James Downey) when he was a minor and wanted to enlist in the Army.[1][2]
During his childhood, Downey had minor roles in his father's projects, making his debut at age 5 as a sick puppy in the absurdist comedy Pound (1970), and then at age 7 he was murdered by Jesus Christ Superstar God in the surrealist Greaser's Palace (1972).[1] He grew up in Greenwich Village and attended the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in upstate New York, as a teenager. When his parents divorced in 1978, Downey moved to California with his father, but in 1982 he dropped out of Santa Monica High School and moved back to New York to pursue an acting career full time.
During his childhood, Downey had minor roles in his father's projects, making his debut at age 5 as a sick puppy in the absurdist comedy Pound (1970), and then at age 7 he was murdered by Jesus Christ Superstar God in the surrealist Greaser's Palace (1972).[1] He grew up in Greenwich Village and attended the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in upstate New York, as a teenager. When his parents divorced in 1978, Downey moved to California with his father, but in 1982 he dropped out of Santa Monica High School and moved back to New York to pursue an acting career full time.
At the age of twenty, he joined the cast of the weekly television comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL), but was a cast member for only one season.[3] After leaving SNL during the last half of the eighties, Downey had his breakthrough when in 1985 he played James Spader's sidekick in Tuff Turf and then a bully in John Hughes's Weird Science. He was afterwards considered for the role of Duckie in John Hughes's film Pretty in Pink (1986),[4][5] but his first lead role would be with Molly Ringwald in The Pick-up Artist (1987). Because of these and other coming of age films Downey did during the 1980s he is sometimes named as a member of the Brat Pack.[3][6] Also during 1987 he appeared in Less Than Zero, where his portrayal of a drug-addicted rich boy was described by The New York Times as "desperately moving".[7] Downey has said that for him "the role was like the ghost of Christmas Future", since his drug habit resulted in him becoming an "exaggeration of the character" in real life.[8] Zero drove Downey into films with bigger budgets and names, such as Air America (1990) with Mel Gibson, and Soapdish (1991) with Sally Field, Kevin Kline and Whoopi Goldberg.
In 1992, he starred as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin, a role for which he prepared extensively, learning how to play the violin and tennis. He even had a personal coach in order to imitate Chaplin's posture and way of carrying himself.[9] The role garnered Downey an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor at the Academy Awards 65th ceremony, losing to Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman.[10] His other films in the 1990s included Heart and Souls, Only You, Natural Born Killers, Restoration, and The Last Party, which is a documentary written by Downey.
In 1992, he starred as Charlie Chaplin in Chaplin, a role for which he prepared extensively, learning how to play the violin and tennis. He even had a personal coach in order to imitate Chaplin's posture and way of carrying himself.[9] The role garnered Downey an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor at the Academy Awards 65th ceremony, losing to Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman.[10] His other films in the 1990s included Heart and Souls, Only You, Natural Born Killers, Restoration, and The Last Party, which is a documentary written by Downey.
From 1996 through 2001, Downey was arrested numerous times on drug-related charges and went several times through drug treatment programs unsuccessfully, explaining in 1999 to a judge: "It's like I have a loaded gun in my mouth and my finger's on the trigger, and I like the taste of the gunmetal."[11] He also explained his relapses by claiming to be addicted to drugs since the age of eight.[12]
In April 1996, Downey was arrested for possession of heroin, cocaine and an unloaded .357-caliber Magnum handgun, while he was speeding down Sunset Boulevard. A month later, when on parole, he trespassed into a neighbor's home while under the influence of a controlled substance, falling asleep in one of the beds.[13][14] He was sentenced to three years of probation and required to undergo mandatory drug testing. In 1997 he missed one of the court-ordered drug tests and had to spend four months in the Los Angeles County jail. The same happened in 1999, only this time he was sentenced to a three-year prison term. After spending nearly a year in a state prison in Corcoran, California he was released on $5,000 bail.[15] For his 1999 defense, Downey's lawyer, Peter Knecht, assembled the same team of lawyers that successfully defended O. J. Simpson during his criminal trial for murder.[12] At the time of the arrest all of Downey's film projects had wrapped and were close to release, with the exception of In Dreams, which he was allowed to complete filming. He had also been hired for voicing "The Devil" on the NBC animated television series God, the Devil and Bob, but was fired when he failed to show up for rehearsals.[16][17]
A week after being released in 2000, Downey joined the cast of the hit television series Ally McBeal, playing the new love interest of Calista Flockhart's title character.[18] His performance was praised and the following year he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a mini-series or TV Film.[19][20] He also appeared as a writer and singer on Vonda Shepard's Ally McBeal: For Once in My Life album, and he sang with Sting a duet of "Every Breath You Take". Despite the apparent success, Downey claims that his performance on the series was overrated and that "It was my lowest point in terms of addictions. At that stage, I didn't give a fuck whether I ever acted again."[8] In January 2001, Downey was scheduled to play the role of Hamlet in a Los Angeles stage production directed by Mel Gibson.[21]
Before the end of his first season on Ally McBeal, Downey was arrested during Thanksgiving 2000, when his room at Merv Griffin's Hotel and Givenchy Spa in Palm Springs, California was searched by the police who were responding to an anonymous 911 call. Downey was under the influence of a controlled substance and in possession of cocaine and Valium.[22][23] Despite the fact that if convicted he could face a prison sentence of up to four years and eight months, he signed on to appear in at least eight more Ally McBeal episodes.[24] In April 2001, while he was on parole, a Los Angeles police officer found him wandering barefoot in Culver City, near southwest Los Angeles. He was arrested for suspicion of being under the influence of drugs but was released a few hours later,[25] even though tests showed he had cocaine in his system.[26] After this last arrest producer David E. Kelley and other Ally McBeal executives ordered last-minute re-writes and re-shoots, and dismissed Downey from the show, though Downey's character had resuscitated Ally McBeal's ratings.[27] The Culver City arrest also cost him a role in the high-profile film America's Sweethearts.[26] In July 2001, he pleaded no contest to the Palm Springs charges, avoiding jail time. He was instead sent into drug rehabilitation and put on a three-year probation, benefiting from the California Proposition 36, which had been passed the year before and aims to help non-violent drug offenders overcome their addictions instead of sending them to jail.[15][28]
The book Conversations With Woody Allen reports that director Woody Allen wanted to cast Downey and Winona Ryder in his film Melinda and Melinda in 2000, but was unable to do so because he could not get insurance on them, stating, "We couldn't get bonded. The completion bonding companies would not bond the picture unless we could insure them. We were heartbroken because I had worked with Winona before [on Celebrity] and thought she was perfect for this and wanted to work with her again. And I had always wanted to work with Bob Downey and always thought he was a huge talent."
In April 1996, Downey was arrested for possession of heroin, cocaine and an unloaded .357-caliber Magnum handgun, while he was speeding down Sunset Boulevard. A month later, when on parole, he trespassed into a neighbor's home while under the influence of a controlled substance, falling asleep in one of the beds.[13][14] He was sentenced to three years of probation and required to undergo mandatory drug testing. In 1997 he missed one of the court-ordered drug tests and had to spend four months in the Los Angeles County jail. The same happened in 1999, only this time he was sentenced to a three-year prison term. After spending nearly a year in a state prison in Corcoran, California he was released on $5,000 bail.[15] For his 1999 defense, Downey's lawyer, Peter Knecht, assembled the same team of lawyers that successfully defended O. J. Simpson during his criminal trial for murder.[12] At the time of the arrest all of Downey's film projects had wrapped and were close to release, with the exception of In Dreams, which he was allowed to complete filming. He had also been hired for voicing "The Devil" on the NBC animated television series God, the Devil and Bob, but was fired when he failed to show up for rehearsals.[16][17]
A week after being released in 2000, Downey joined the cast of the hit television series Ally McBeal, playing the new love interest of Calista Flockhart's title character.[18] His performance was praised and the following year he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a mini-series or TV Film.[19][20] He also appeared as a writer and singer on Vonda Shepard's Ally McBeal: For Once in My Life album, and he sang with Sting a duet of "Every Breath You Take". Despite the apparent success, Downey claims that his performance on the series was overrated and that "It was my lowest point in terms of addictions. At that stage, I didn't give a fuck whether I ever acted again."[8] In January 2001, Downey was scheduled to play the role of Hamlet in a Los Angeles stage production directed by Mel Gibson.[21]
Before the end of his first season on Ally McBeal, Downey was arrested during Thanksgiving 2000, when his room at Merv Griffin's Hotel and Givenchy Spa in Palm Springs, California was searched by the police who were responding to an anonymous 911 call. Downey was under the influence of a controlled substance and in possession of cocaine and Valium.[22][23] Despite the fact that if convicted he could face a prison sentence of up to four years and eight months, he signed on to appear in at least eight more Ally McBeal episodes.[24] In April 2001, while he was on parole, a Los Angeles police officer found him wandering barefoot in Culver City, near southwest Los Angeles. He was arrested for suspicion of being under the influence of drugs but was released a few hours later,[25] even though tests showed he had cocaine in his system.[26] After this last arrest producer David E. Kelley and other Ally McBeal executives ordered last-minute re-writes and re-shoots, and dismissed Downey from the show, though Downey's character had resuscitated Ally McBeal's ratings.[27] The Culver City arrest also cost him a role in the high-profile film America's Sweethearts.[26] In July 2001, he pleaded no contest to the Palm Springs charges, avoiding jail time. He was instead sent into drug rehabilitation and put on a three-year probation, benefiting from the California Proposition 36, which had been passed the year before and aims to help non-violent drug offenders overcome their addictions instead of sending them to jail.[15][28]
The book Conversations With Woody Allen reports that director Woody Allen wanted to cast Downey and Winona Ryder in his film Melinda and Melinda in 2000, but was unable to do so because he could not get insurance on them, stating, "We couldn't get bonded. The completion bonding companies would not bond the picture unless we could insure them. We were heartbroken because I had worked with Winona before [on Celebrity] and thought she was perfect for this and wanted to work with her again. And I had always wanted to work with Bob Downey and always thought he was a huge talent."
Downey's first acting job after being ordered into a drug treatment program in July 2001 was a month later, when Sam Taylor-Wood suggested to Elton John the idea of having an actor lip-syncing to the song in the video for the single "I Want Love". John thought Downey would be perfect, and the video ended up being a one-shot video centered on Downey.[30][31] Downey was able to return to the big screen only after Mel Gibson, who had been a close friend to Downey since both had co-starred in Air America, paid Downey's insurance bond for the 2004 film The Singing Detective.[32] On November 23, 2004, Downey released his debut musical album, The Futurist, on Sony Classical, for which he designed the cover art.[33] The album received mixed reviews,[34][35] but Downey stated in 2006 that he probably won't do another album as he felt that the energy he put on doing the album was not compensated.[36] Also in 2004, Downey was named "Man of the Year" by Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatricals.[37] He returned to mainstream films in the mid 2000s with Gothika, for which Joel Silver withheld 40 percent of his salary until after production wrapped as insurance against his addictive behavior; similar clauses have become standard in his contracts since then.[38] After Gothika Downey appeared to have become a more reliable actor and was cast in a number of leading and supporting roles, including the well received semi-independent films Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Good Night, and Good Luck, and A Scanner Darkly, as well as Disney's poorly received The Shaggy Dog, the mainstream Zodiac and Steven Shainberg's fictional biopic of Diane Arbus, Fur, where Downey's character represented the two biggest influences on Arbus's professional life, Lisette Model and Marvin Israel.[39]
Also in 2006, Downey guest starred on Family Guy voicing in the episode "The Fat Guy Strangler, which originated when Downey telephoned the show production staff and asked if he could produce or assist in an episode creation, as his son is a fan of the show. The producers of the show accepted and created the character of Patrick Pewterschmidt, Lois Griffin's long lost, mentally disturbed brother, for Downey.[40] It was during this time that Downey signed on with publishers HarperCollins to write a memoir, which in 2006 was already being billed as a "candid look at the highs and lows of his life and career". In 2008 Downey returned his advance to the publishers and cancelled the book without further comment.[41]
In 2006, Downey was surprisingly cast for the title character in the film Iron Man,[42] with director Jon Favreau explaining the choice by stating: "Downey, Jr., wasn't the most obvious choice but he understood what makes the character tick. He found a lot of his own life experience in 'Tony Stark.'"[43] Favreau insisted in having Downey as he repeatedly claimed that Downey would be to Iron Man what Johnny Depp is to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, a lead actor that could both elevate the quality of the film and increase the public's interest on it.[44][45][13][46] For the role Downey had to gain more than 20 pounds of muscle in five months so as to look like he "had the power to forge iron."[47] The film was globally released between April 30 and May 3, 2008, grossing over $300 million in the United States and Canada[48] and receiving rave reviews which cite Downey's performance as a highlight of the film.[49][50] As a result, both Downey and Favreau stated their interest in making Iron Man a trilogy.[51] By October 2008, Downey had agreed to appear as Iron Man in two Iron Man sequels and the future film of the Avengers. [52] He also made a small appearance as Iron Man's alter ego Tony Stark in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk all of which are a part of Marvel Studios' attempt to depict the same Marvel Universe on film.[53]
After Iron Man, Downey appeared in another 2008 summer film, the Ben Stiller directed Tropic Thunder, starring Stiller and Jack Black. For the role Downey had to wear blackface makeup, something that Stiller and Downey feared could become controversial:
Stiller says that he and Downey always stayed focused on the fact that they were skewering insufferable actors, not African-Americans. 'I was trying to push it as far as you can within reality,' Stiller explains. 'I had no idea how people would respond to it.' He recently screened a rough cut of the film and it scored high with African-Americans. He was relieved at the reaction. 'It seems people really embrace it,' he says.
—Entertainment Weekly- First Look: 'Tropic Thunder' [54]
When asked by Harry Smith on CBS's The Early Show who his model was for his portrayal of the self-absorbed method actor Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder, Downey laughed before responding, "Sadly, my sorry-ass self."[55]
Another 2008 release is The Soloist, which will premiere in November but is already being mentioned as a possible Academy Award candidate.[56][57]
The first role Downey has accepted since Iron Man is the lead in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes.[58] He is also in negotiations to star in DreamWorks Pictures' adaptation of the graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens, a potential 2010 tentpole that plans to mix the genres Western and science fiction.
Also in 2006, Downey guest starred on Family Guy voicing in the episode "The Fat Guy Strangler, which originated when Downey telephoned the show production staff and asked if he could produce or assist in an episode creation, as his son is a fan of the show. The producers of the show accepted and created the character of Patrick Pewterschmidt, Lois Griffin's long lost, mentally disturbed brother, for Downey.[40] It was during this time that Downey signed on with publishers HarperCollins to write a memoir, which in 2006 was already being billed as a "candid look at the highs and lows of his life and career". In 2008 Downey returned his advance to the publishers and cancelled the book without further comment.[41]
In 2006, Downey was surprisingly cast for the title character in the film Iron Man,[42] with director Jon Favreau explaining the choice by stating: "Downey, Jr., wasn't the most obvious choice but he understood what makes the character tick. He found a lot of his own life experience in 'Tony Stark.'"[43] Favreau insisted in having Downey as he repeatedly claimed that Downey would be to Iron Man what Johnny Depp is to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, a lead actor that could both elevate the quality of the film and increase the public's interest on it.[44][45][13][46] For the role Downey had to gain more than 20 pounds of muscle in five months so as to look like he "had the power to forge iron."[47] The film was globally released between April 30 and May 3, 2008, grossing over $300 million in the United States and Canada[48] and receiving rave reviews which cite Downey's performance as a highlight of the film.[49][50] As a result, both Downey and Favreau stated their interest in making Iron Man a trilogy.[51] By October 2008, Downey had agreed to appear as Iron Man in two Iron Man sequels and the future film of the Avengers. [52] He also made a small appearance as Iron Man's alter ego Tony Stark in the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk all of which are a part of Marvel Studios' attempt to depict the same Marvel Universe on film.[53]
After Iron Man, Downey appeared in another 2008 summer film, the Ben Stiller directed Tropic Thunder, starring Stiller and Jack Black. For the role Downey had to wear blackface makeup, something that Stiller and Downey feared could become controversial:
Stiller says that he and Downey always stayed focused on the fact that they were skewering insufferable actors, not African-Americans. 'I was trying to push it as far as you can within reality,' Stiller explains. 'I had no idea how people would respond to it.' He recently screened a rough cut of the film and it scored high with African-Americans. He was relieved at the reaction. 'It seems people really embrace it,' he says.
—Entertainment Weekly- First Look: 'Tropic Thunder' [54]
When asked by Harry Smith on CBS's The Early Show who his model was for his portrayal of the self-absorbed method actor Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder, Downey laughed before responding, "Sadly, my sorry-ass self."[55]
Another 2008 release is The Soloist, which will premiere in November but is already being mentioned as a possible Academy Award candidate.[56][57]
The first role Downey has accepted since Iron Man is the lead in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes.[58] He is also in negotiations to star in DreamWorks Pictures' adaptation of the graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens, a potential 2010 tentpole that plans to mix the genres Western and science fiction.
Downey started dating actress Sarah Jessica Parker after meeting on the set of Firstborn. They separated in 1991, according to Downey, because of his drug and alcohol abuse.[60] Then, in the late 1980s, Downey started dating Marisa Tomei, whom he appeared with in Only You and Chaplin. He married actress Deborah Falconer on May 29, 1992, and had a son with her named Indio Falconer Downey, born on September 7, 1993 in Los Angeles County, California; in the midst of Downey's last arrest where he was sentenced to an extended stay in rehab, Falconer left Downey in 2001 and took Indio with her.[61] In 2003, while on the set of Gothika, he met producer Susan Levin, who runs Joel Silver's movie company.[32] Levin and Downey started dating, and Downey and Falconer finalized their divorce on April 26, 2004. Then, Levin and Downey married on August 27, 2005 in a Jewish ceremony at Amagansett, New York.[62] Downey now sees his son Indio frequently after settling custody arrangements with Falconer.[61]
Downey says he has been drug-free since July 2003,[63] thanks to the help of his family, therapy, meditation, twelve-step recovery programs, yoga and the practice of Wing Chun Kung Fu.[8] He has described his religious beliefs as "Jewish-Buddhist," although he has been interested in the past by Christianity and the Hare Krishna ideology.[64]
Downey has been the best friend of Mel Gibson since they starred in Air America. He defended the actor/director during the controversy surrounding The Passion of the Christ, and argued that "nobody's perfect" regarding Gibson's DUI.
Downey says he has been drug-free since July 2003,[63] thanks to the help of his family, therapy, meditation, twelve-step recovery programs, yoga and the practice of Wing Chun Kung Fu.[8] He has described his religious beliefs as "Jewish-Buddhist," although he has been interested in the past by Christianity and the Hare Krishna ideology.[64]
Downey has been the best friend of Mel Gibson since they starred in Air America. He defended the actor/director during the controversy surrounding The Passion of the Christ, and argued that "nobody's perfect" regarding Gibson's DUI.
Nincs mese, Robert Downey Jr. az, akit megillet ez a szuperlatívusz. Hogy miért? Egyrészt mert a legtöbb ember, ha keresztülment volna azon, amin ő, már rég halott lenne, ő viszont 43 évesen a nyári mozis csúcsszezon legfrissebb szuperhőseként tér vissza. Minden műfaj jól áll neki, erőlködés nélkül is vicces, és simán megússza, ha csak önmagát adja egy filmben.Első filmjében nem mást, mint egy kölyökkutyát kellett megformálnia - az ezzel az ideális szereposztással járó sármot azóta sem vetkőzte le. A Pound című film kamerája mögött egyébként édesapja, Robert Downey Sr. állt, aki állítólag már 8 éves korában spanglival kínálta a kis Robertet.
Csak egy évadig ugyan, de húszévesen tagja volt a legendás Saturday Night Live társulatának, ahonnan olyan nevek kerültek még ki, mint Bill Murray, Day Aykroyd, Will Ferrell, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy vagy Chris Rock. Bár a kilencvenes évek nagyobbik részét elvonókból ki és be csúszkálva töltötte, mégis sikerült egy jó pár filmben emlékezetes alakítást nyújtania. Hogy csak a legjobbakat említsük: Rövidre vágva, Született gyilkosok, III. Richárd és a Wonder Boys - Pokoli hétvége. A nálunk csak VHS-en elérhető, meglehetősen szórakoztató Egy fiú, két lány forgatása során már naponta végeztettek vele drogteszteket a biztosítók.
Ő volt az első bukott filmcsillag, akinek a nevére már nem mentek volna be az emberek a moziba, így ravaszul a nappalijukba mászott vissza egy kedvelt szappanopera, az Ally McBeal segítségével. Romantikus oldalának megvillantása abszolút bejött Allynek és a nézőknek is, amit Arany Glóbusz-díj és Emmy-jelölés erősített meg a szakma részéről. Sajnos 15 epizódnyi vendégszereplés után a kábítószer-problémák ismét állandósultak, és Downey-t végül kirúgták a sorozatból. Emlékét a csodásan giccses soundtrack-album őrzi örökké egy szóló és egy duett-felvétellel.
Egy napra kiengedték az elvonóról, de nem vesztegette az idejét: az Elton John I Want Love című dalához készült videoklipben szomorú, kiélt szemeivel ismét emlékeztetett mindenkit arra, hogy nélküle nem igazi a filmvilág. A klip rendezőjével, Sam Taylor Wooddal annyira élvezték a közös munkát, hogy Pieta címmel közös videoinstallációt készítettek, ami a művész Mute című kiállításán volt látható.
Második feleségét, Susan Levin producert a Gothika forgatásán ismerte meg. Ez a rémséges film így mégis kellemes emlék maradhat, ráadásul drogmentes napok és példátlan karrier-reneszánsz követték, melynek pár fontos állomása Az éneklő detektív (Mel Gibsonnal az Air America óta barátok, és Gibson rendezte volna Downey-t Hamletként is a színházban), az Eros és a szenzációsan jó Good Night and Good Luck.
Az önirónia elengedhetetlen tulajdonsága Hollywood túlélőinek; Robert a Kamera által homályosan junkie-jaként tett leginkább tanúbizonyságot erről az erényről - visszaemlékezései szerint a forradalmi animációs technikával készült film élete legkönnyebb szerepe volt. A kölyökkutya-gyökerekhez való visszatérés jegyében pedig karizmatikus szőrmókot formált meg az idióta magyar című A Szépség és a szőr-ben. Valószínűleg bármely más színész totál hülyének tűnt volna az oroszlánkirályra hajazó hacukában, ő viszont pusztán a szemjátékával hitelessé tudta tenni az alaposan fikciósított szerelmi szálat.
A hullámvölgyekben bővelkedő karrier a Durr, durr és csók (amiből miért nem lett még Halálos fegyver/Csúcsformában mintára több részes franchise?) és a Zodiákus parádés szerepeinek köszönhetően végképp felfelé ívelő szakaszba került, aminek potenciális csúcspontja a Vasember. Tíz éve álmodni sem merte volna senki, hogy Downey Jr.-ra bíznának egy száznyolcvanmilliós nyári blockbustert, most pedig itt van, és lazább, mint Batman, viccesebb, mint Pókember, és legalább olyan karizmatikus, mint Jack Sparrow.
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